The present invention relates to method and apparatus for transferring newspapers from pockets of a newspaper stuffing machine into an overlapped stream with a closed edge portion of each of the newspapers leading and a headline side of each of the newspapers facing downwardly.
Machines for assembling or stuffing newspapers and similar articles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,461,573 and 2,634,971. During operation of these machines, newspapers are transferred from bottom opening pockets into an overlapped stream on a conveyor with cut or open edge portions of the newspapers leading. Since the open edge portions of the newspapers are leading, difficulty has been encountered in using known machines to stack the newspapers. Therefore, the newspapers are frequently manually handled in order to stack them.
Another known newspaper stuffing machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,649. This machine discharges the newspapers into an overlapped stream on a conveyor belt with the folded or closed edge portions of the newspapers leading. Since the folded edge portions of the newspapers are leading, known stacking machines can be used to stack the newspapers.
Although the newspaper stuffing machines disclosed in the foregoing patents are more or less satisfactory in their general mode of operation, difficulty may be encountered when the operating speed of a stuffing machine is increased in order to increase the rate at which newspapers are assembled. When the operating speed of these known machines is increased, care must be taken to prevent the outer pages or jackets of the newspapers from being torn or displaced during relatively rapid movement of the newspapers as they are discharged from the stuffing machine. In addition, during high speed operation of a stuffing machine, the newspapers must be discharged from the machine in a controlled manner in order to have the newspapers follow an intended path of movement and/or to have an intended orientation after they have been discharged from the machine.